FIFA World Cup History

The book chronicles nearly a century of the World Cup's journey since 1930. It includes over 600 images, capturing notable milestones of the tournament, from the teams to classic matches, iconic moments, and behind-the-scenes stories.

On July 12, 1998, Zinedine Zidane scored France's second goal in the World Cup final against Brazil. His second goal of the tournament secured France's first World Cup title.

Ronaldo and the mysterious illness

Right up to the last minute, Ronaldo nearly missed the Final. His name wasn't even in the starting lineup; Edmundo was there instead. That afternoon, he suffered a seizure – some sources say it was an epileptic fit, others claim a heart attack – and was taken to the Lilas clinic for examination. Ronaldo only arrived at the Stade de France 50 minutes before kick-off.

"There's no denying that France played very well throughout the tournament, but I believe things would have been different if Ronaldo hadn't had health problems just four hours before the match," Bebeto shared. "That threw the whole team into disarray. Everyone panicked, Edmundo cried thinking Ronaldo was going to die. We were stunned, and that was evident in the game."

Ronaldo reportedly suffered an epileptic seizure just before the 1998 World Cup Final, sparking numerous "conspiracy theories" that persist to this day. Photo: Reuters.

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Zidane, a national hero.

Having been sent off against Saudi Arabia and consequently suspended for the matches against Denmark and Paraguay, Zinédine Zidane had a rather lackluster World Cup debut. But the French number 10 redeemed himself in the Final.

In the 27th minute, from a curling corner kick taken by Emmanuel Petit, he rose high to head the ball at the near post, scoring his first goal of the tournament. And just before halftime, Zidane repeated almost exactly that goal, this time from a corner kick on the left taken by Youri Djorkaeff, after Petit and Stéphane Guivarc'h both missed their chances. Once again, the Juventus midfielder rose high at the near post and headed the ball powerfully.

Those two goals were a well-deserved reward for Zidane's superb performance, as he relentlessly tormented the Brazilian defense with his exceptional technique. Brazil accelerated in the second half and threatened with a close-range shot from Ronaldo, which was perfectly saved by Fabien Barthez.

Despite Marcel Desailly receiving a second yellow card and being sent off in the 68th minute, France extended their lead in the final minute: from a counter-attack, Christophe Dugarry passed to Patrick Vieira, who threaded a pass to Petit, who had run almost from his own penalty area, to seal a 3-0 victory.

Despite his illness and the defeat in the final, Ronaldo still proved his class as one of the best players in the world : "I have many fond memories of the 1998 World Cup. It was a spectacular World Cup, although it's a shame we played terribly in the final against a brilliant Zidane."

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France won their first World Cup title on home soil. Brazil, for the first time in history, lost in a World Cup final (their defeat to Uruguay in 1950 came in the final round of the tournament format). Didier Deschamps lifted the Jules Rimet trophy before 80,000 enthusiastic fans. Later that year, Zinédine Zidane received the Ballon d'Or.

Source: https://znews.vn/tran-chung-ket-mang-bi-an-lon-nhat-lich-su-world-cup-post1659101.html